Coming 2 America : The Dung Gate

One Sunday, while in church some years ago, an elder who was well aware of my staunch allegiance to my God, and to the things of God, asked me the following question: “If God told you to take a stand against something, and in taking that stand you would be standing against your own church - would you do it?” Without hesitation, I responded, as one elder to another, “Absolutely! I will do what God tells me to do. My allegiance is to God; not to a church.” And then I asked him, “Wouldn’t you?” He never responded. He simply walked away. In asking me this question I knew that this elder had an ulterior motive, but I had no fear of his motive. I feared and do fear God and God alone.

Every leader in the kingdom of God must make their calling and election sure and not be afraid to play their role with integrity. Speaking out against what is unpopular, or what goes against the status quo will not get you “likes” in a culture where holiness and truth have been crushed in the public square. Cancel culture will cancel you in 30 seconds or less! Yet, like the sons of Issachar (1 Chron. 12:32), and like the prophets of old, those who have been called to bring Light into the midst of darkness, hope in the midst of despair, correction, warning and rebuke to a wayward people careening towards destruction, must be willing to speak what is unpopular and what threatens to cancel us out of the necessary conversations of our times.

When Nehemiah undertook to rebuild the walls around Jerusalem, one of the gates he had to rebuild was the Dung Gate. This gate was significant because it was through this gate that the residents of the city would carry all of the dung and ashes from out of the city and the Holy Temple - to be removed from their midst.

Many of us have allowed the Dung Gate in our lives to be torn down, and we have not been diligent enough, nor have we seen the importance of rebuilding that gate. But it is vital that we rebuild our Dung gates.

Let me provide the definition of dung according to scripture: that which is unclean; which shall perish; which defiles and is used to degrade; that which shall be disposed of and not used in the sacrifice; that which is useless.

I suppose that this blog is mainly directed towards my people, who are also among the saints of God. We must rightly discern the Dung Gate as a safeguard against impurity, thereby guarding the gates of holiness and purity in our lives and protecting us from continued degradation, as a people loved by God. God is on the side of the oppressed, yes, however, He can only fight for us if we are living in obedience to His commands and according to the plumbline of holiness that He has set (Amos 7:8).

Recently I tried to watch Coming 2 America. After about 15 minutes in, I had to turn it off. My spirit was highly offended by all the filthy language and overt sexual imagery. It was just non-stop dung. I watched as long as I did because I was hoping to get past the dung to whatever “great entertainment,” or “message” might have been there. After about 15 minutes in, the Holy Spirit seemed to say, “Have you seen enough yet? Can we go now?” I turned it off. I had this exact same experience when I attempted to watch One Night In Miami, produced by Regina King. I gave it a good, honest attempt, but my spirit could not endure it. 

As a people, we must watch our doctrine. Just because it has a Black producer, or a Black cast, or retells a message of our Black history, this does not make it wholesome viewing. Blackness is not and cannot become the foundation of our doctrine. As followers of Christ, we cannot afford to sit and eat at everyone’s table, even if the table is set with cornbread, and collards. If you have to pick dung out of the plate before you can enjoy the meal - maybe it’s just not worth eating. And if you’re okay with eating dung with your meal, this is a sure sign that your Dung Gate has been in disrepair for too long. 

My people, we are in danger of violating the covenant of God. He has promised to spare those who have set their lives apart to worship Him. He will make a distinction between those who live profane lives in rebellion to Him, and those who sigh and groan over all the abominations, which are being committed in our midst, by marking their foreheads to be spared in the day of judgement (Ezek. 9:1-6). It is important to note that the instruction from God, to the man commissioned to mark the foreheads of the worshipers, was to “begin with the elders who were in front of the temple”. Why? Because judgement begins in the house of God, and furthermore, it was the responsibility of leadership to teach the people the difference between the holy and the profane (Ezek. 44:23), not to indulge alongside them, thereby condoning the sin and leading the people even further astray.

I once sat under a pastor who constantly, with his false doctrine, and in his greedy attempt to wrestle every dime out of our pockets, would always aggressively yell out to us, “It costs to be a leader in this church”! He would then proceed to ask, for the third or fourth time in one service, for us to give yet another offering. But, in truth, the cost of leading in ministry is being willing to speak out against such false doctrines at the risk of being loved one minute and hated the next, of being ostracized, rejected, black-balled, and of having your bags packed and waiting for you at the god-forsaken back door of the church, and being told to shut your mouth and leave quickly and quietly.

The cost of true leadership and allegiance to Christ is being able to take hold of the courage in Christ to lead in the things that call for holiness and truth, at the risk of being cancelled, when all have itching ears to hear only what makes them feel comfortable enough to sit at a table with family and friends and to, nonchalantly, and ofttimes ignorantly, eat dung at every meal.

I have been guilty of eating dung with my meals in the past. Yes, I have. So, it is not that I have already obtained all this, as Paul said, but with an understanding of the times, knowing that as a people, we need God’s strength and His aid as we continue to fight in the battle that has enraged around us, around our children, and our grandchildren, I make it my strong goal to press on to do better. In Phil. 3:8 Paul says,  “I count all these things as dung that I may gain Christ”.

I realize this blog will not be popular and will invite scorn. That is okay. I began this blog by stating that I fear only God. Every man must play their role. We are not our own. James Baldwin said, “The [authentic] writer writes not because he wants to, but because he has to”. I am compelled to be true to my God. I have been purchased by Hs precious blood to do those good works which He ordained me to do before the foundation of the world. I write because He has ordained and anointed me to write. I am His scribe.

Unfortunately, if there was any noble message, or any great entertainment in either Coming 2 America, or One Night In Miami – I never had the privilege of enjoying it. This tells me that my Dung Gate is in pretty good shape – not perfect – but pretty good. I still have work to do on it. While many of my people are talking about these movies, even promoting them, and while they may even win secular awards, I am content to be left out of those conversations. Furthermore, what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul? (Mk. 8:36)

My prayer is that this blog will convict by the Spirit of God, and not condemn. I pray that it will cause some to see the urgency to rebuild the Dung Gate around their hearts so that impurity will no longer be easily digested, and that the profane will lose its power to degrade a people who have endured much scorn and degradation for far too long.

While you are here, I invite you to purchase a copy of my book, Who’s Guarding The Gates?, and its Companion Study Guide. Also, check out my newest book, Nothing But Bread and Water/ Reflections from an Exile.

Chadwick Boseman: A Lamp That Burned

Like everyone else, when I read that Chadwick Boseman had passed away, I was in great disbelief. I immediately began an internet search to see if what I had read was some sort of fake news hoax. Sadly, it was not a hoax. It was a devastating truth: Chadwick Boseman had left us. He had left his wife, his mother and father, his family, friends and devoted fans - transitioned to Heaven - and the place that he once occupied on the earth was no more.

In the days and weeks following Chad’s death I tried to process this deeply sad reality. I didn’t even know him personally, and yet, I would wake up in the middle of the night weeping over the fact that he was gone. Gone! He was here in so much glory and power for what seemed like only a brief moment, and then he was not. It seemed too sudden, way too soon.

We, of the Black and Brown community, did not think he was done impacting our lives so profoundly. I believe this was one of the main reasons why we all took his death so hard. He had given us, Message from The King, Get On Up, 42, Black Panther, Marshall, and Da 5 Bloods, to name a few. How was it possible that he could be done already?! I mulled this question over and over in my head. It seemed to us that his momentum was picking up. But that it should be completely stopped, was bewildering. Shocking. Indeed, his passing left us all in a state of severe shock, and unfathomable grief.

Statements given by those who worked closely with him and who knew him the most, spoke of him as a highly spiritual man, a man who professed Christ, a kind and gentle soul, a humble man who walked in his integrity. Of his profession as an actor, his coworkers spoke highly of his commitment to perfecting his craft, and we all can attest to the impeccable quality of his work. Why was he taken so soon? The question we have all asked ourselves, each other, and God.

It wasn’t until I tweeted a few days ago, “Chadwick Boseman your light is still burning. Leaders lead! We see you. Thank you!” that Holy Spirit began to give me deeper insight into the life and sudden death of this beautiful soul. I posted that tweet in the afternoon. That evening, as I sat with God, He immediately directed me to John 5:35-44:

John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you chose for a time to enjoy his light.

36 “I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to finish—the very works that I am doing—testify that the Father has sent me. 37 And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form, 38 nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent. 39 You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me to have life.

41 “I do not accept glory from human beings, 42 but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts. 43 I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. 44 How can you believe since you accept glory from one another but do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?

I quickly became aware of how Holy Spirit could use the death of Chadwick to point us back to Yeshua, The Christ – the True Light, and to The Most High God – the One in Whose image we have all been made.

With the release of Black Panther, many Black and Brown people experienced a sort of mental, physical, spiritual, and even physical elevation of themselves and of their community. There was individual and collective pride in seeing such powerful, positive images of ourselves projected on this enormous screen for the world to see. Black Panther made us feel strong, empowered and capable. We wanted to believe that the cultural atmosphere was shifting for the better for us as a people who have been maligned, denigrated, despised, robbed, denied, brutalized and never accepted as full human beings worthy of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

We have watched our people endure so much loathing, and have seen so many of our Black and Brown leaders assassinated, literally, that, in a great sense, and as ludicrous as it might seem, many of us were willing to make a Marvel character our leader. We were ready and willing to find identity in the Black Panther. He gave us hope. He gave our Black and Brown children a positive image of themselves to look up to, and underneath the costume that brought all of this to Black and Brown lives was one like us - Mr. Chadwick Boseman. In a very real sense, we had placed our faith in him, in weak, frail human flesh. The Word of God warns us that are not to put our confidence in man (Ps. 146).

Prior to Chadwick’s passing, we were already enduring the painful repercussions of Covid-19, and its severe impact on the Black and Brown communities. On top of that, our people were being viciously murdered by White Supremacists cops on a daily basis, all under the winking eye of a corrupt and racist government. With all of these factors taken into consideration, the timing of Chadwick’s passing seemed to have been premature. The struggle of Black and Brown people was not over when the Black Panther star died. He had more work to do for our people, for our image – or so we thought.

As I sat before God the night of His response to my tweet, I heard Him speak through His Word to me: I gave you Chadwick Boseman, and the world enjoyed his gifts and talents for a short season, but I did not give him to you to idolize, or as someone in whom you would find your identity.

Chadwick did such an amazing job in the various roles he embodied that we all fully bought into whatever message his character was trying to get across to us – especially in his portrayal of the Black Panther. The Christ came to us with a far weightier message than that of Chadwick, and 2,000 years later, many still do not believe His message from The Father that leads us to eternal life – the same place where Chadwick now resides.

Holy Spirit reminded me that we have been created in the image of God (Gen. 1:27), and that our lives and identities are hidden with Christ in God (Col. 3:3), and this identity should be enough.

He has warned us to have no other gods before Him (Ex. 20:2). So many have been very quick to hail Chadwick Boseman as “King,” but have yet to acknowledge Yeshua as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. This is an abomination to The Most High God. We must be very careful, and repent if we have exalted the name of a good man over the name of the God-Man – Yeshua.

Certainly, in losing Chadwick Boseman, the world lost a wonderful, beautiful soul; a talented, gifted actor; a young man whose life and legacy impacted countless lives for good, and we have rightfully mourned that loss. But he was only a man, as we are, made of dust – and not God. All the days of his life were numbered form the beginning of time, as are ours. The Most High God is still very much alive! Let us remember, as followers of Christ, we do not grieve as those who have no hope. If Chadwick had placed his faith in Yeshua, as many testify that he did, then we will see him again when we transition from this life into eternity.

Mr. Boseman was a lamp that burned and brought us joy for a short time, but we must allow his light to point us to the True and Eternal Light, by pointing our own finger out towards Yeshua and not failing to exclaim, as did John the Baptist when he saw Yeshua coming toward him,  “Look! The True Light! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

Letter From An Ache In a Region of My Soul

To the pastors, evangelists, elders, ministers and teachers - to all who have been charged to carry the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and to the Church Universal – I have but one question; How did we get here? How is it that we have drifted so far from the original blueprint of the One who laid the Chief Cornerstone for what He has called His House – that House that was intended to be called a “house of prayer for all nations”? What happened to the original charge from Jesus to “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation” (Mk.16:15, ESV)? What have we done with Matthew 28:19-20, which commands us to “baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you”? “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age,” Jesus said.

Before Covid-19, I had already been existing in a state of extreme isolation and separation since 2015, having been the unfortunate recipient of a near fatal blow from the leadership of the church I’d served on for nearly fifteen years. Since I had been employed by that church, and for all those years had dwelt in community with, and served the people of that church, when the blow came, forcing me to leave said church – I lost what seemed like everything. Living wages – gone! People that I had believed were friends – gone! Ministry – gone! Purpose – seemingly gone! Joy – gone; even acquaintances – gone! I was sorely bereft of everything that I held dear.

Social distancing, for me, had begun way back in 2015. When the church leadership rejects a person, justifiably or unjustifiably, the rejected one, once “loved” by all, now becomes as one infected with a virus. No one dares come near you! This is an area of poison and infection in the church that must be aggressively addressed, repented of and forever corrected.

The trauma and devastation of what happened to my life as a result of having been mishandled by church leadership made me wonder if I would ever “belong” to another church “family” again. In 2015, for the first time in my life, I was not attending any church. This went on for almost 2 ½ years. When I finally got up enough nerve to start visiting churches again, I was stunned, not so much by my experiences in those churches, where The Holy Spirit’s anointing and presence were blatantly absent, but by the fact that this anemic condition of the church seemed to be pervasive. The pastor’s messages – consumed with begging for every last dollar from the parishioners. (I had heard that kind of preaching before). These pastors had bought into the gospel of prosperity. What blatant greed! Sermons saturated with doctrines of demons promising everybody, regardless of whether or not they had been faithful stewards with their resources, that a financial blessing was on the way. What lies!

My ears heard, coming from these pulpits, preaching that had no basis in scripture, and peaching that distorted and manipulated scripture. I heard preaching from a version of a different bible that was apparently new on the scene, and that sounded absolutely nothing like any words from Jesus I had ever read in my life. I was mortified. I also noticed that in many of the churches, the altars had been torn down and replaced with runways and stages. Now the people had no place to prepare their hearts and examine themselves before, or after the worship service once they entered the sanctuary. They merely went from entering the sanctuary with loud talking, joking and laughing, to immediately being entertained by the images, creative set designs, and personalities hoisted up on the stages for them to behold as idols. These sorts of things were happening in pulpits everywhere throughout the region I lived in.

I found myself visiting a new church almost every week. Not one of these churches would I have dared to even consider making my church home. Most times, I couldn’t even bring myself to sit through a whole service. Sometimes, I couldn’t even make it past the fleshly, entertainment-like, fame seeking, personality-driven, worldly influenced praise and worship, before I found myself tipping out, only to return home and finish having church on my sofa. Just me, my Bible and Jesus. Oh, what joy divine!

Once I visited a church that seemed to be okay. I didn’t hear any lies coming from the pulpit. Good. They preached straight from the Word of God. Good. They were not lopsided, nor did they subject the congregants to undue pressure when gathering the tithes and offerings. Good. But there was not one spark of the fire of the Holy Spirit’s presence in their services. Only a few clapped their hands and shouted to God with a voice of triumph. Only a few entered into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise. Admittedly, I did revisit this particular church more than a few times, but I was not fulfilled there. Only a short time later, and the world was hit by Covid-19. God quickly shut the doors of all the churches, sending, not only me back into exile, but the entire globe, into this ongoing state of isolation, separation and exile.  

The pandemic of 2020 had made it painfully clear to all of us that we had foolishly chosen to distance ourselves from God, locking Him out of His own house. Now, He was distancing Himself from us and challenging us to seek Him again with all of our hearts.

There has been an ungodly, unholy, demonic attempt to destroy God’s House. The preaching of doctrines of demons that cunningly and boldly crept in and overtook pulpits around the world, and especially in the Western world, is a great abomination before God. The personality-driven leadership is a thumb to the nose in the face of God Who warned us, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me” (Ex. 20:3).

Pastors, I implore you – stop erecting buildings in your name. Stop sounding your name, or the name of “your” church as a trumpet whenever you do a good deed in your community. Otherwise, you will find that it is, in fact, your church, and not God’s. In this, you will ultimately do more harm than good to your community, exalting something that your hands have made, yet masquerading it as something belonging to, built and sanctioned by God. Why not let everything be done as unto the Lord? (1 Cor. 10:31) Why not raise the fame of the name of Jesus – alone? If you do not, you may be sorely disappointed when your works are tried by the fire of God. For what of them will survive on that day? (See 1 Cor. 3:13)

The contamination of our worship, which has allowed secular influences to infiltrate, spoil and ruin the holy things of God, has aroused the anger and indignation of an Holy God. He has come to despise our worship. It is meaningless to Him and has become a stench in His nostrils. This unholy infiltration and contamination have rendered worship powerless to us, and highly offensive to God. How have we responded to scripture that command those who carry the holy vessels of God, which includes worship, to “Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you” (2 Cor. 6:17). What is the responsibility of the Levite relative to Ezek. 44:23 which states, “They are to teach my people the difference between the holy and the common and show them how to distinguish between the unclean and the clean”? What are the Levites teaching, when they prance around on the stage at church, dressed like they just came out of the nightclubs, and doing every ungodly thing on Saturday night, but then feigning consecration during Sunday morning worship? Where is the difference? Only the Spirit of God gives life. All flesh profits nothing. Jn.6:63

The words found in Isaiah chapter 1 are enough to make us all tremble. I pray they lead us all to repent:

Hear the word of the Lord,
    you rulers of Sodom;
listen to the instruction of our God,
    you people of Gomorrah!
11 “The multitude of your sacrifices—
    what are they to me?” says the Lord.
“I have more than enough of burnt offerings,
    of rams and the fat of fattened animals;
I have no pleasure
    in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats.
12 When you come to appear before me,
    who has asked this of you,
    this trampling of my courts?
13 Stop bringing meaningless offerings!
    Your incense is detestable to me.
New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations—
    I cannot bear your worthless assemblies.
14 Your New Moon feasts and your appointed festivals
    I hate with all my being.
They have become a burden to me;
    I am weary of bearing them.
15 When you spread out your hands in prayer,
    I hide my eyes from you;
even when you offer many prayers,
    I am not listening.

There is a deep ache in the region of my soul as I weep over the local church, and over the state of the Church Universal. Yet, even as I weep and pray, I am encouraged because I know what Jesus said. He said, “Upon this rock I will build My church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matt. 16:18).

During Covid-19, I have heard pastors boast about how even though the doors to the physical churches have been closed, they are busier than ever before. Not bothered. That may be, but I believe God would have the church do a reset during this season. I believe God is looking for pastors, elders, ministers, and all church leadership to humble themselves and take the lead in true, heartfelt repentance. Our nation is being judged, and judgement begins in the house of God.

When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people,  If My people, who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray; seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from Heaven, forgive their sins and heal their land (2 Chron. 7:14).

The 21st century church must return to the original blueprint of its Founder and Builder – Jesus, the Christ. Leadership must repent. The reason John the Baptist was referred to as the greatest prophet of all was because he honored the privilege he was given to be the forerunner for Jesus. He understood his unique purpose and responsibility and he never got it confused. He was the voice crying out in the wilderness to prepare the way for the Lord. Many tried to get John to confess that he was more than that, or to be offended by Jesus’s rise to fame. John never took the bait to exalt himself in any way. The lines never blurred for him. Even when his disciples came to him to report to him of the fame of Jesus, and to inform him that all of his disciples were starting to follow Jesus, he simply said, “A man can receive nothing except it comes from God” (Jn. 3:26-30). John further replied that he had already told them that he was not the Christ, and now that the Christ had appeared – it was time for him (John) to fade into the distance.

The humility of John is what all of us who have received the Great Commission must strive towards – to be committed to exalt the things of God, and not our things. John joyfully persuaded the people, who had previously followed him, to now leave him and run after Jesus. “I am not the Christ,” he flatly stated.

Personal ownership and blurred lines regarding our calling and privilege relative to carrying out the Great Commission, I believe, is the reason why there is so much perversion, competition, bad feeling, jealousy and lack of godly love within the church. This structure will never stand. God will allow it to self-destruct. In Matthew 28:20, when Jesus said, “I will be with you always,” this was a promise to us for as long as we continued with Him. However, when we reach the point where we feel we can build God’s house without Him, we forfeit His promise and His presence.   

Many lives have been traumatized and devastated by this unholy church that God did not build. We must all repent. All of us. We must “stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it…” and we will find rest for our souls. (See Jer. 6:16)  We must allow God to speak to us on an individual basis to determine what is the responsibility of each of us as we work, as did Nehemiah, to rebuild the walls and gates around God’s house.

When God calls us out of the exile, we must all be prepared with resolutions concerning how and what each of us can do to ensure that we do not do church as usual.

Unexpected Pain

What do you do when you’ve been meticulously careful to do all the right things to ensure the blessing and favor of God over your life, yet, you still find yourself balled up on the floor in a corner of your house, sobbing your insides out over unexpected calamity? How do you sit in the middle of a gripping pain so deep and unrelenting, and not question the ways of Almighty God? How does the pool of your own tears, gathering in the middle of the cold bathroom floor underneath your cheek, lend credence to the unfailing love and unceasing mercies of God?

With pain so ruthless, what is to stop you from yelling to the sky that infamously “faithless” question every believer is strictly forbidden to ask, “Why me, God?”

Why does this type of pain choose us when it does; when we’re either too old and feeble to bear the weight of it, or too young and blissful for the depth of it? The long, gnarly tentacles of unexpected pain reach for us on ordinary days when all of life appears to be going according to plan and we couldn’t be happier. And being no respecter of times and seasons, this nemesis of tranquility bursts onto the scene of our lives while we are yet in the process of resettling our lives from the upsets and distresses of last season’s soul-numbing traumas. Where is the escape route when pain of this magnitude comes knocking to deliver an horrendous, life-altering experience addressed specifically to you?

Well, here I go being the bearer of bad news, which is really a matter of perspective. On the day you hear that disturbing knock on your door, and you open it to see Sorrow and Suffering standing before you, loaded down with baggage, don’t bother to look for the escape route, because there is none. You must know that these two emissaries of affliction are intentional in choosing your house, in this season, at your age, at this time of day, and they aren’t going anywhere until they have completed their assignment, which has been intentionally ordered up for you.

As Christ followers, we must bear in mind two things on which Jesus was very clear:

1). In this world, we will have trouble. “[B]ut be of good cheer”, Jesus says, “I have overcome the world” (Jn. 16:33).

2). We all will be given a cross to bear (Lk.14:27), and it will seem unbearable. Yet, we do not need to bear it alone.

Whether by God, or by the Devil, both sources of the trials have an expected end; the former, to build our faith; the latter, to destroy it. Having the ability to discern which is which can mean the difference between overcoming victoriously through the trial or being completely defeated by it. This ability to discern the source and cause of our pain can be difficult because pain seldom announces its origin or purpose. It usually, simply shows up, burdening us with the perplexing task of figuring out the “Why’s?”, and “How’s?”, and “What fors?” behind it all. But figure it out we must, or, at the very least, we must make a decision about the two unwelcome, yet, necessary ministers of affliction when they come to call; a decision that will empower us to walk, sure-footedly, upon the tumultuous waters of tribulation, without drowning. James 1:8 reminds us that a “double-minded man is unstable in all of his ways.” Thus, we must decide. Here’s the good news-God will help us. No matter the source of unanticipated pain, we can be more than overcomers.

In Habakkuk 3:17-19 we read:

 Though the fig tree does not blossom and there is no fruit on the vines, [though] the product of the olive fails and the fields yield no food, though the flock is cut off from the fold and there are no cattle in the stalls, 

Yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will exult in the [victorious] God of my salvation!

 The Lord God is my Strength, my personal bravery, and my invincible army; He makes my feet like hinds’ feet and will make me to walk [not to stand still in terror, but to walk] and make [spiritual] progress upon my high places [of trouble, suffering, or responsibility]!

The prophet Habakkuk reminds us that when everything that comprises our lives that could possibly go wrong goes wrong, we have the choice to either sit and moan, or to praise God and rejoice in the victory He has already wrought for us. He is our strength: We can choose to walk in that strength, or wallow in defeat. He is our courage: We can choose to be brave, or to be paralyzed by fear. He is our undefeatable army: We can either lay down and let the enemy crush us under his feet, or we can choose to let God fight our battles as we march onto the battlegrounds behind Him, rejoicing and lifting up His name in praise as we go. His promise to us is this: as we make the decision to rejoice in Him in the midst of utter devastation, He will fully equip us with everything we need to face tribulations of any kind, and to exit the battle with a faith that is stronger than when we first stepped onto the battlefield.

Sometimes, in the thick of the battle, even though we have positioned ourselves behind the Lord, Who is invincible in battle, it may appear as though we are losing the fight. Winning may look like defeat when weeping endures for the night. But we can rejoice, knowing that joy is coming in the morning (Ps. 30:5). From the outside, it may look like disaster when the battle is overlong, and we can’t see our way out; when we stumble in the darkness, and depression threatens to pull us into a bottomless vortex of hopelessness. Yet, there is a lifeline in the Word of God to help us endure the night blindness. The prophet encourages us with these words in Michah 7:8:

Do not gloat over me, my enemy!   

Though I have fallen, I will rise.

Though I sit darkness,

the Lord will be my light.

One match lit in the darkest room, and the room is no longer overcome by darkness. One tiny glimmer of hope in a seemingly hopeless situation, and hopelessness is undone. God’s living Word brings light to our darkness. His promise to abide with us always, gives us hope.

Oh, how powerful and reassuring it is to know that God has a book in Heaven where He records every single tear we cry, and that He has a bottle for catching every tear that we have ever shed (Ps. 58:8). He saves them and He writes about them. Just think about that for a moment and you will gain insight into the great love our Father has for us.

I penned this blog last year, before the horrific death of Mr. George Floyd, before the assassinations of Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor, but I find it especially relevant today. God is now, and always has been, on the side of the oppressed. We are living in some very turbulent, troubling times, but all the signs are pointing to change. The pot of injustice is full and boiling over its brim. We are witnessing the unfolding of a kairos moment – that chosen, proper and opportune time for the manifestation of the arm of God to bring about global change.

 My prayer is that all will find strength and encouragement in reading this blog. I pray that this blog will help you come to understand how precious you are to God, and how concerned our loving Father is about everything that touches our lives. He cares deeply about the pain that you and I have endured - and must yet endure. It has been said, “God permits what He hates to accomplish that which He loves.” God cares deeply that our people are being slaughtered on a daily basis, and He grieves deeply with us. But we should not think that God does not already have a plan for our redemption, which time shall soon reveal.

In Psalm 34:18, we read that God is very near to the broken-hearted. He is near to those who have endured crushing of every kind; and haven’t we? Our great God stands by us to lift us back up, to resuscitate us, to revive us, and to breathe fresh new life into us. When our hearts become overwhelmed, weighted down by suffering and grief beyond our capacity to bear, He will draw us to Himself to partake of His strength, made perfect in our weakness (see Ps. 61:2, and II Cor. 12:9).

When we have been tried, we shall declare as Job, “But He knows the way I take; When He has tried me, I shall come forth as pure gold” (Job 23:10). Then, we will become meat for the Master’s use. The Lord will make us to be broken bread for the multitudes of the hurting. All this is from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes.

As we decide to trust in and praise Almighty God in the face of tragedy, sorrow and suffering, He will empower our feet to keep moving forward over the craggy mountains, down in the valley, through the dry desert, and upon the raging seas. He will cause the darkness to become light before our faces, and every high place He will bring down to nothing, to nothing at all. Rather than annihilating us, the unexpected pain that ventures into our lives will merely be a tool in the sovereign hands of God, skillfully used to enlarge our faith and to fashion us into the image of His dear Son, Jesus Christ. If we allow Him, God can use that pain to propel us to engage in the sort of action(s) that will result in the reshaping of America. To God be the glory.

Not A Stone Remains

On April 15th, 2019, we received the news that Notre Dame was burning to the ground. This was horrific and shocking news to the world. This beautiful, historic landmark, more than 850 years old, was now in danger of burning to the ground.

As I pause to think about the grandeur of Notre Dame Cathedral, my mind goes back to the church of my childhood.

I was one of those children who was raised in the church. I have many fond memories of those days. How well I remember the church mothers. They sure knew how to wear those fancy, humongous hats that prevented us kids from seeing the choir, the pastor, and even the other parishioners, sitting only two rows ahead of us. I remember the mother’s large purses filled with goodies, which they were always ready to dole out to some poor, young, flustered mother’s unruly toddler, or crying baby.

I remember being enamored by the choir’s renditions of the sacred hymns, and while I didn’t always understand the preacher’s message, I appreciated the weighty disposition accompanying him as he preached God’s Word, his readiness to share it with us, his bellowing voice reaching up to the highest point in the ceiling above us, and somehow I knew, even as a child, that I was in the presence of the Holy. I was merely a little girl, but, already, I loved the sanctity of the house of God. I felt safe there. I felt God’s presence there, and I was never in a hurry to leave.

The church of my childhood was where I had instilled within me the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. There, I came to know of His love for me, and of His redemptive work wrought for us all at Calvary. I learned how to serve there, how to give, and how to honor God’s Word, as well as how to memorize scripture, and hide it in my heart. l was taught to respect the leadership of the church, and to reverence God’s house itself. I was taught the importance of repentance, and I was taught the importance of prayer. This church was my family’s church from the time I was a child, until I grew up and moved to a different state. It remained my parent’s church, until they both went into a nursing home in their later years.

The church of my formative years was a staple, both in our community, and in our lives. It was a true church family. We knew when Robert and Carla became Mr. and Mrs. Jones, and when Mr. and Mrs. Jones welcomed a new baby into their lives. We knew when brother William’s house burned down; when sister Lucy was sick and shut-in; when brother Thomas went into a nursing home, and when Mother Johnson went home to be with the Lord.

Our pastor was devout, gentle and kind. His greatest investments were the ones he made into the lives of the saints God called him to shepherd. Those lives were our lives, and the lives of so many others down through the years. The membership of our church was roughly 2,000 strong, small by comparison to the many megachurches popping up everywhere today, and the sanctuary was always filled to capacity.

When I left that church and went away to college in New York City, my parents were terrified for me. The thought of their baby girl going away to live in a city marked by violence, drugs, and perversion, was overwhelming to them, to say the least. But growing up in that church, and with all that had been carefully instilled into me by the leadership of our church, I was more than well prepared for the big city. I had fallen absolutely, and irrevocably in love with God’s Word, and with God’s beloved Son, Jesus Christ. This wonderfully simple, yet Christ-centered church, had prepared me to live out my faith in one of the most decadent states of that time.

Many years later, after college, marriage, two children, divorce, bankruptcy, and a host of other issues that arose simply from living in a fallen world, I returned to the city where I grew up. I visited my old home church. It had gone through a few pastors; one had passed away, and the 2nd was in the process of retiring and passing the baton to a younger pastor; but this church was still thriving, as before. After all the trials I had endured down through the years, it was oddly comforting to see that the church of my childhood still looked the same as it had when I was a little girl. The mothers were still sporting their large hats, and still handing out candy to crying babies. The deacons were still praying at the altar. The choir was still singing the beautiful hymns of the faith, reminding us of the power, beauty, faithfulness, majesty and love of God. And from the faithful pastor’s lips, the oracles of God still rang out from the pulpit to the pews, and the Lord was still adding to the church such as should be saved.

At the end of the service, we were reminded to; visit and pray for Mother Bertrand, who had suffered a stroke, and was still in the hospital; congratulate brother and sister Carmichael, who just celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary, and to pray for the Burke’s family, whose father had gone home to be with the Lord earlier that week.

Yes, I was greatly comforted to be there that Sunday morning. In a way that may be difficult for many to comprehend, I appreciated the monotony and simplicity of sameness. I understood that sameness, of this kind, requires great strength and humility to remain faithful to God’s original assignment, especially when the multitude of one’s peers bring pressure to go in a different direction.

As a result of the obedience of the leadership of my home church, I was able to find comfort sitting in that sanctuary at a time in my life when it felt like the bottom had been ripped out from under me. There, in that sanctuary, I could rest in the presence of God, free from having to fight against a host of cameras eager to intrude upon my intimate moments with the Lord.

I had been in that kind of church before, a grandiose megachurch, where, for marketing purposes, they were all too eager to sacrifice the sacred on the altar of capital gain and notoriety. In the most vulnerable of moments, when the precious saints stood before God, choosing to worship Him through their pain, their tears and brokenness - suddenly, like an elephant in a china cabinet - a camera rudely crashes into this holy place, to get the shot. Before you knew it, what you hoped would be a moment of intimacy, of private confession, repentance and restoration before God, has suddenly become a very public moment, open to judgement, and to the criticism of those who may have known what you did the night before.

What must it feel like, while you are fervently crying out to God, as did Hannah (see 1 Sam. 1:12-15) who was perceived by the priest to be drunk, to unexpectedly look up and see your agonized, contorted, tear-stained face blasted up on a 20 ft screen for all to see?

For sure, that Sunday, I was glad to be sitting in a church where the Word of God did not have to compete with a man-u-factured presence, a counterfeit glory, created by smoke machines, extremely loud, eardrum breaking music, flashing lights, and expensive cameras. All these are the technology used to invoke strange fires, necessary whenever the true glory, and the true presence of God are absent from our worship services.

On the day that the exquisite, historic Notre Dame cathedral burned, the very first thought that came to my mind was the scripture from Mark 13:1-2. It reads:

As Jesus was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!”

 “Do you see all these great buildings?” replied Jesus. “Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”

The Bible records that the glorious temple that Herod had built was built to impress the people, not to honor God. Jesus prophesied that it would be torn down to the very last stone. Not a stone would remain on top of another. And it came to pass, just as He had prophesied it would.

Now, I am not opposed to change or progress, not in the least. This blog is not about opposition to change. My own entire life has been about pursuing change and transformation. I am a firm believer that change, in the right direction, is always good, and is often accompanied by exciting, sometimes unexpected blessings. This blog is about the church remaining effective in ministry by not straying from God’s original assignment to it. It is about honoring the original commission from Jesus Christ, found in Matthew 28:18-20. It is about placing God’s people before things, and notoriety, and monetary gain. It is about, as Eugene Peterson so eloquently put it, “a long obedience in the same direction.”

The local church must return to its first call and commission. It must return to its first love. If it is to remain effective, and continue to have God’s blessing upon it, it must repent, and return. The leadership, beginning with the pastors, and down the line, must be willing to lead in repentance, to stand on the watchtower, to get still before God long enough to allow the Holy Spirit to allow them to catch a glimpse of the ancient paths. And in seeing, they must ask for the Lord to return His Bride back in the direction of the old paths, for this is where is the good way. Then, they must petition God for the humility and strength to walk therein, for in the ancient paths are found rest, and peace. (See Jeremiah 6:16).

In Revelation 2:5, God warns the straying church, that had abandoned its first love, “Unless you repent and do the things you did at first, I will come and remove your lampstand.” “Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it” (Psalm 127:1). Eventually, God will tear it down, until not a stone remains on top of another. We pray for a move of God upon His Church towards repentance, healing, Spirit-led direction, and restoration. We pray that once the doors of the church do open again for public worship that we will not seek to do business as usual, but that we will seek God for His way, His will, His plan, and His agenda for His bride.

An Open Letter to the Lost Sheep

The first thing I want to say to the many sheep who are without a shepherd is this – God sees you. The second thing I want to say to you is this – God loves you. The third thing I want to say to you is this – God is with you, and the fourth thing I want to say to you is that God still has a great plan for your life. Whether your exit from the local church is the result of wounding by church members, or church leaders, or whether it is the result of the unfolding of a new assignment from God that has required you to leave your present church community and head in the new direction in which His Spirit will guide you – be assured that the Lord God is with you. He loves you, and He has an awesome plan for your life.

The year was 2015 when I physically went into exile from the local church after receiving a devastating blow from the leadership of the church in which I had attended, and served in, for nearly fifteen years. From the exile, I was led straightway into a prolonged season in the wilderness. From firsthand experience, I can tell you that the Devil waits for us in that dry, lonely place for one reason only, and that is to destroy us.

In the wilderness, the Adversary of our soul’s toys with our minds by planting poisonous thoughts in our heads. He lies to us, and creates illusions before our eyes in order to deceive us into believing that his lies are really the truth. In our weakened state, he tries to convince us that God has forsaken us, lost sight of us, has no more use for us, and that the Good Shepherd has abandoned us to starve to death alone in the wilderness. But Jesus said in John 10 that his sheep will know his voice, and they will run from the voice of the stranger because the stranger comes only to steal, kill and destroy. He has told you, little sheep, that Satan is the father of lies, and that when he speaks a lie, he is speaking “his native language” because “he is a liar and the father of lies,” and there is not a speck of truth in him. (See Jn. 8:44)

In Matthew 4, we read where Jesus was led into the wilderness by the Spirit of God to be tempted by the devil. In this account of scripture, Jesus teaches us how to survive the wilderness experience by, not only knowing the truths given to us in God’s Word, but also by knowing how to strategically enforce God’s Truths as spiritual weapons against the father of lies. Here, we read that Jesus had fasted forty days and forty nights. His body was weak and hungry, but His Spirit was up for the fight.

Though you may be weakened from your struggle, you must remember, the same power and authority Jesus displayed against the devil, in His weakened physical state in the wilderness, is available to you. You have the authority to demolish every lie the devil presents to you by confronting those lies with God’s Truth. Jesus, our Big Brother in the faith, has gone before us and taught us how to remain strong, and how to fight back in the wilderness. John 1:5 is there to remind us that the darkness is powerless to stand against the Light. Every lie will ultimately be demolished when confronted with God’s truth.

You don’t have to become a casualty of hopelessness in the wilderness. You don’t have to faint or lose your way. Jesus Christ has shown us that there is help for us in the wilderness, and that there is a way out of the dry place. We need only to read the story of Hagar, found in Genesis 16, to know that God sees us, wherever we may find ourselves. Even when despair and grief back us into a wall or drive us into a desert; knowing that God is right there with us, though we can’t see or feel Him, can mean the difference between life and death, between ruin and victory.

Hagar, too, was in a wilderness when the eyes of God saw her there in that dry, barren desert, alone, afraid, and running away; from what, even she did not know. She was pregnant with purpose, and yet she found herself in a wilderness, without a vision for her life. But when she heard the Lord call to her in the midst of her despair, Hagar realized that she was never alone. The lie the devil tried to convince her of was exposed when she heard God’s voice calling to her in her dry place. Suddenly, those feelings of hopelessness, despair, and rejection had to flee the moment she realized that God was with her, that He loved her, and that He had a great plan for her life. It was there, in the hopelessness of the desert, that Hagar named the Lord – El Roi, for she said to the Lord, who spoke to her in the midst of her anxiety, sorrow and fear, “You are the God who sees me. I have now seen the One who sees me” (See Gen. 16:9-13).

Yes, God sees you too, little sheep, right where you are, and He will come to rescue you from your despair, your wandering, and your hopelessness. In Psalm 139, David reminds us, even as he seals it in his own heart, that there is no place we can go, or hide, where God is not already there. He is the Good Shepherd. He is our Savior and our Redeemer. His eyes are always upon us. If He sees the sparrow fall, and has numbered all the hairs on our heads, we can rest assured that He is intently mindful of every aspect and detail of our lives. (See Matt. 10:29-31). God cares about you. You are continually on His mind. He is concerned for your life.

You can rest assured, little sheep, the Good Shepherd is coming to get you. Lift up your head and “look, for He comes, climbing on the mountains, leaping and running over the hills” (SS. 2:8)! He knows you feel cut off and rejected. He is aware of your wandering state. He knows you’ve been wounded, and when He comes, He will guide you to the green pastures where He lovingly grazes His sheep. When He comes, He will gather you under the shelter of His Almighty wings. He will pour His healing oil on your wounds and bind them up, so great is His lovingkindness towards you. Yes, He’s coming to restore you. He’s coming to rescue the one. He’s coming to rescue you.

You might be feeling fatigued by this season of separation from the flock. It can get very rough, I know, because I’ve been there, but don’t you quit walking. Don’t stop moving forward.  Proverbs 24:10 says, “If you faint in the days of adversity, your strength is small.” So, I want you to think of this season of exile as the season where God will have great opportunity to strengthen your faith. I want you to think of this journey through the wilderness as the place where you learned greater discipline, the place where you learned how to fight back, and not lay down and die when the devil threw you the death blow. I want you to value this season more than any other, because if you walk it out correctly, this can prove to be the season where you learn how to obey God by hearing His voice alone. The authenticity of your personal relationship with God will soar to new heights.

I believe that the heart of God is filled with excitement as He anticipates the journey with you. There is so much He wants to reveal to you about Himself. There is more that He wants to show you about His love, His provision, His grace, and the tender compassions He has for you. This is not just an ending; it is more than that. This is an exciting new beginning! Enjoy the journey, knowing that the Lord walks with you.